The Weapons Specialist

Weapons Specialists are often considered to have the greatest direct impact on overall combat. They are found manning advanced turrets and dealing out heavy damage, or taking the fight directly to the enemy crew by boarding their vessel. Weapon Specialists are highly skilled and often ruthless when their ship and crew are in danger.

Weapon Specialists can control advanced turrets, target specific systems on enemy ships by attacking them with missiles, wield an array of hand-held weapons and devices, as well as arm and launch nuclear devices.

DEV NOTES: Many hand-held items and equipment are not yet in the game!

Ship Turrets

Crewmembers can control basic ship turrets at a Turret Control Station, as seen on the left. Press the R key to enter the turret view. When near to a control station, a tool tip will prompt you as to which turret you attempting to use.

Press R again to exit the turret view.

The turret view allows you to aim and fire the turret. Basic turret types vary; some may fire a single shot, others are beam weapons. Make sure you are familiar with the various turret types before jumping into them during a battle.

The Advanced Turret Control Stations are designed to operate larger, more complex machinery. Mega turrets are such devices. Capable of immense destructive power, these turrets are usually the main damage dealers between enemies.

Every mega turret also has the ability to launch high-speed missiles that target various ship systems.

Tip: The current mega turret for both playable ships fires the most damage when the red and white circles are on top of one another. To achieve this, hold the left mouse button and release at the moment the circles align. The more accurate the alignment, the better calibrated the weapon will be and more damage will be delivered.

You will need a special talent to operate a mega turret! (Advanced Operator) The Weapons Specialist starts with it.

Missile Targeting

The Missile Launcher Setup screen allows the Weapons Specialist to load a specific missile type into the mega turret.

Each missile type is a separate ship component that can be installed by the Captain.

There are various missile types that can be acquired and installed, each designed and built for unique purposes.

At the top of the screen you will see the name of the currently installed missile. Below the name you can find stats on damage and speed as well as the remaining number of missiles your ship has. (TIP: You can purchase more missiles at a trading station, similar to purchasing fuel or coolant.)

To launch a missile, you must be operating the mega turret. When finding an enemy, hold the right mouse button to begin the lock-on sequence. A red diamond will appear over the target. Several indicators will appear to illustrate the targeting system, the type of missile, and how many missiles are remaining.

he percentage indicator shows the current lock-on progress. Once it reaches 100% the missile will launch. (TIP: You can slightly curve the missile's trajectory to avoid potential obstacles by adjusting the aim of the turret before the missile launches.)

Nuclear Devices

Nuclear devices are extremely rare commodities. Worth a small fortune and capable of immeasurable destruction, nukes do not often come into play. But when loaded, they often act as intimidation pieces rather than being detonated.

Nuclear devices are slow moving, forward firing projectiles that have enormous blast radiuses. They act as ship components and must be installed before one can be launched. Many larger ships will have two component slots for nuclear devices, so two separate nukes may be installed simultaneously.

Firing a nuke is a multi-step process:-Start at the Nuclear Device Screen, which is found in both the weapons room and the bridge. The chamber will be empty and you will be given the option to load a nuclear device.-Click on the nuke you want to fire under “Load Nuclear Device”. Once loaded, you will find the activator at the nuclear launch desk in the weapons room.As seen above, the nuclear launch desk is designed to arm an activator. Activators are not the nuke, but they are an essential part of one. Without an armed activator, the nuke will have no chance of detonating.-To arm the activator, pull both of the switches at the launch desk within a few seconds of each other. The activator will slowly pulsate once armed.-Once the Captain selects a targeted ship, the Weapons Specialist can launch the device.-Keep a close eye on the distance and fuel. The device will no longer be able to course-correct once out of fuel.-Detonate the device when you determine the range is the closest it will get.